2005 PONTIAC GRAND AM child seat

Seats and Restraint Systems........................... 1-1
Front Seats
............................................... 1-2
Rear Seats
............................................... 1-8
Safety Belts
.............................................. 1-9
Child Restraints
.......................................1-30
Airbag System
.........................................1-51
Restraint System Check
............................1-57
Features and Controls..................................... 2-1
Keys
........................................................ 2-2
Doors and Locks
....................................... 2-7
Windows
.................................................2-13
Theft-Deterrent Systems
............................2-15
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle
...........2-15
Mirrors
....................................................2-28
Storage Areas
.........................................2-29
Sunroof
..................................................2-30
Instrument Panel............................................. 3-1
Instrument Panel Overview
.......................... 3-4
Climate Controls
......................................3-19
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators
........3-22
Audio System(s)
.......................................3-37Driving Your Vehicle....................................... 4-1
Your Driving, the Road, and Your Vehicle
..... 4-2
Towing
...................................................4-35
Service and Appearance Care.......................... 5-1
Service
..................................................... 5-3
Fuel
......................................................... 5-5
Checking Things Under the Hood
...............5-10
Bulb Replacement
....................................5-42
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
.........5-45
Tires
......................................................5-46
Appearance Care
.....................................5-71
Vehicle Identification
.................................5-79
Electrical System
......................................5-80
Capacities and Specifications
.....................5-85
Maintenance Schedule..................................... 6-1
Maintenance Schedule
................................ 6-2
Customer Assistance and Information.............. 7-1
Customer Assistance and Information
........... 7-2
Reporting Safety Defects
...........................7-10
Index.................................................................1
2005 Pontiac Grand Am Owner ManualM

Front Seats......................................................1-2
Manual Seats................................................1-2
Driver Seat Height Adjuster..............................1-3
Six-Way Power Driver Seat..............................1-3
Reclining Seatbacks........................................1-4
Head Restraints.............................................1-5
Seatback Latches...........................................1-6
Easy Entry Seat.............................................1-6
Power Lift Seat..............................................1-7
Rear Seats.......................................................1-8
Rear Seat Operation.......................................1-8
Safety Belts.....................................................1-9
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone.................1-9
Questions and Answers About Safety Belts......1-13
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly.................1-14
Driver Position..............................................1-14
Shoulder Belt Height Adjustment.....................1-21
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy..................1-22
Right Front Passenger Position.......................1-22
Rear Seat Passengers..................................1-23
Center Rear Passenger Position.....................1-26
Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults..........................1-27
Safety Belt Extender.....................................1-29
Child Restraints.............................................1-30
Older Children..............................................1-30Infants and Young Children............................1-32
Child Restraint Systems.................................1-36
Where to Put the Restraint.............................1-39
Top Strap....................................................1-39
Top Strap Anchor Location.............................1-41
Lower Anchorages and Top Tethers for
Children (LATCH System)...........................1-41
Securing a Child Restraint Designed for
the LATCH System....................................1-43
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear
Outside Seat Position................................1-44
Securing a Child Restraint in a Center
Rear Seat Position....................................1-46
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right
Front Seat Position....................................1-48
Airbag System...............................................1-51
Where Are the Airbags?................................1-52
When Should an Airbag Inflate?.....................1-54
What Makes an Airbag Inflate?.......................1-54
How Does an Airbag Restrain?.......................1-55
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates?.....1-55
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle...........1-56
Restraint System Check..................................1-57
Checking Your Restraint Systems...................1-57
Replacing Restraint System Parts After
a Crash...................................................1-58
Section 1 Seats and Restraint Systems
1-1

Q:If I am a good driver, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:You may be an excellent driver, but if you are in an
accident — even one that is not your fault — you
and your passengers can be hurt. Being a good
driver does not protect you from things beyond your
control, such as bad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40 km) of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and deaths occur at speeds of less than
40 mph (65 km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly
This part is only for people of adult size.
Be aware that there are special things to know about
safety belts and children. And there are different
rules for smaller children and babies. If a child will be
riding in your vehicle, seeOlder Children on page 1-30
orInfants and Young Children on page 1-32. Follow
those rules for everyone’s protection.
First, you will want to know which restraint systems your
vehicle has.
We will start with the driver position.
Driver Position
Lap-Shoulder Belt
The driver has a lap-shoulder belt. Here is how to wear
it properly.
1. Close and lock the door.
2. Adjust the seat so you can sit up straight. To see
how, see “Seats” in the Index.
1-14

Rear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for
Children and Small Adults
Rear shoulder belt comfort guides will provide added
safety belt comfort for older children who have outgrown
booster seats and for small adults. When installed on
a shoulder belt, the comfort guide better positions
the belt away from the neck and head.
There is one guide for each outside passenger position
in the rear seat. To provide added safety belt comfort
for children who have outgrown child restraints and
booster seats and for smaller adults, the comfort guides
may be installed on the shoulder belts.Here is how to install a comfort guide and use the
safety belt:
1. Pull the elastic cord out from between the edge of
the seatback and the interior body to remove the
guide from its storage clip.
1-27

4. Buckle, position and release the safety belt as
described inRear Seat Passengers on page 1-23.
Make sure that the shoulder belt crosses the
shoulder.
To remove and store the comfort guides, squeeze the
belt edges together so that you can take them out of the
guides. Pull the guide upward to expose its storage
clip, and then slide the guide onto the clip. Turn
the guide and clip inward and slide them between the
seatback and the interior body, leaving only the
loop of the elastic cord exposed.
Safety Belt Extender
If the vehicle’s safety belt will fasten around you, you
should use it.
But if a safety belt is not long enough, your dealer will
order you an extender. It is free. When you go in to
order it, take the heaviest coat you will wear, so
the extender will be long enough for you. To help avoid
personal injury, do not let someone else use it, and
use it only for the seat it is made to fit. The extender has
been designed for adults. Never use it for securing
child seats. To wear it, just attach it to the regular safety
belt. For more information, see the instruction sheet
that comes with the extender.
1-29

Child Restraints
Older Children
Older children who have outgrown booster seats should
wear the vehicle’s safety belts.
If you have the choice, a child should sit next to a
window so the child can wear a lap-shoulder belt and
get the additional restraint a shoulder belt can provide.
Q:What is the proper way to wear safety belts?
A:If possible, an older child should wear a
lap-shoulder belt and get the additional restraint a
shoulder belt can provide. The shoulder belt
should not cross the face or neck. The lap belt
should fit snugly below the hips, just touching the
top of the thighs. It should never be worn over
the abdomen, which could cause severe or even
fatal internal injuries in a crash.
Accident statistics show that children are safer if they
are restrained in the rear seat.
In a crash, children who are not buckled up can strike
other people who are buckled up, or can be thrown
out of the vehicle. Older children need to use safety
belts properly.
1-30

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here two children are wearing the same belt.
The belt can not properly spread the impact
forces. In a crash, the two children can be
crushed together and seriously injured. A belt
must be used by only one person at a time.
Q:What if a child is wearing a lap-shoulder belt,
but the child is so small that the shoulder belt
is very close to the child’s face or neck?
A:Move the child toward the center of the vehicle, but
be sure that the shoulder belt still is on the child’s
shoulder, so that in a crash the child’s upper
body would have the restraint that belts provide.
If the child is sitting in a rear seat outside position,
seeRear Safety Belt Comfort Guides for Children
and Small Adults on page 1-27.
If the child is so small that the shoulder belt is still
very close to the child’s face or neck, you might
want to place the child in the center seat position,
the one that has only a lap belt.
1-31

{CAUTION:
Never do this.
Here a child is sitting in a seat that has a
lap-shoulder belt, but the shoulder part is
behind the child. If the child wears the belt in
this way, in a crash the child might slide under
the belt. The belt’s force would then be applied
right on the child’s abdomen. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries.Wherever the child sits, the lap portion of the belt
should be worn low and snug on the hips, just touching
the child’s thighs. This applies belt force to the child’s
pelvic bones in a crash.
Infants and Young Children
Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes
infants and all other children. Neither the distance
traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes
the need, for everyone, to use safety restraints. In fact,
the law in every state in the United States and in
every Canadian province says children up to some age
must be restrained while in a vehicle.
Every time infants and young children ride in vehicles,
they should have the protection provided by appropriate
restraints. Young children should not use the vehicle’s
adult safety belts alone, unless there is no other choice.
Instead, they need to use a child restraint.
1-32